Candy Bowl
by Jiemme
Summary: What ever happened to the Strawberry Milk candy Koizumi gave Otani on his birthday when they first encountered each other in an Umibouzu concert? *Based on Lovely Complex Plus*


_**A/N:** Hello! This is apparently my first time to write a Lovely Complex fic. I read the manga and watched the anime recently, and I just got addicted! I'll just cut to the chase - this story is based on the manga, Lovely Complex Plus, the stories about Otani and Koizumi before they met, and the time where they did meet each other in an Umibouzu concert but didn't know each other. When I read Lovely Complex Plus, this idea just popped in my head in a flash! This takes place after the Umibouzu concert where Otani and Koizumi realize that they met each other before and where they meet Yoshi once again. And yeah, I kinda thought Yoshi liked Koizumi before... anyways, off to the story! I hope it's not bad. :)_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Lovely Complex because it belongs to Aya Nakahara. :)

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><p><strong>Strawberry Milk Candies<strong>

_What ever happened to the Strawberry Milk candy Koizumi gave Otani on his birthday when they first encountered each other in an Umibouzu concert?_

...

"Thank goodness we watched another Umibouzu concert! I've been waiting for weeks to watch him again!" Otani shouted in joy.

The red-haired girl walking beside him shared the same enthusiasm with her boyfriend. Risa Koizumi's footsteps gave off lively taps on the hard pavement as they left the concert hall together. Otani, however, was far more cheerful than her, having jumped and hopped several times while gushing about the concert.

"I know! I'm very glad you bought tickets for this!" Risa squealed as her boyfriend took her hands in his.

"Of course I did! If I left you to buy it, I know you'd forget and we won't be able to attend!" he replied. Risa was taken aback. She didn't know if it was a joke or a serious comment.

"Shut up, idiot!" she snapped.

"You're the idiot, Koizumi! Who forgot her ticket again?" Otani snapped, letting go of her hands. She slapped his shoulder painfully.

"Well, you told me to hurry up!" she retorted. "And at least I didn't have onion stuck in my teeth the whole concert!"

Otani was able to overcome the painful spank due to being used to it. After all, he and his girlfriend had bickering sessions about almost every hour when they spend their time with each other. It was the cruel reason why some people doubt their status in a romantic relationship.

"Who wanted to have takoyaki when she saw the onion?" Otani shouted. They ended up shouting at each other with words like "Spring Onion Prince" and "Absent-minded Cuties" that caught the attention of other people around them. Before they knew it, someone started laughing loudly at them.

"You know, even though fighting is quite bad for couples, you two pull it off so well!" said a familiar voice. They both stopped as their faces flushed into a deep red color.

"Yoshi!" they said in unison. They gave each other a short glare before returning their attention to their old schoolmate and friend.

"I really can't believe you two are together now. Well, I can, but it's amazing!" Yoshi said. It took some time for his words to sink in Koizumi's head, because all she could think about was how her first crush knew Otani, and how they looked strangely similar to each other… despite the height.

"It's amazing, alright. Who knew I'd date this Amazon?" Otani snorted. Risa shoved his head downwards until his head was in level with his knees.

"Ouch! Stop it!"

"Shut up, Onion Ball midget!"

"That's not what I meant about amazing…" Yoshi said. The two stopped mauling with each other and returned back to reality with Yoshi.

"It's just… wow. My former basketball teammate and my former… err… uh…" Yoshi's voice trailed off for a second until he was able to recover. "…classmate. We were classmates, right Koizumi?"

Risa simply nodded while noticing the shade of red in Yoshi's cheeks.

"Well, you two… both asked me for Umibouzu CDs too. And you two and Nakao are the only ones I told that I was transferring," he finished. "Hey, how's Nakao anyway?"

"He's fine!" Otani replied happily.

"Yeah! He's with Nobu-chan right now!" Risa added.

"Oh? That's good to hear. I hope he's not as gross as before," Yoshi said jokingly. Otani softly laughed. "No, he's not anymore. He's doing great now, especially because of Nobu-chan."

"Risa!" another voice shouted. The three turned around and faced Akechin, Risa's old friend.

"Akechin!"

"Ahh… what's the name of your boyfriend?" she asked.

"Otani," she replied simply, remembering that her boyfriend didn't prefer his first name, Atsushi.

"Oh! Otani, can I borrow Risa for a while? I just have to catch up with her!" Akechin asked. Otani snorted.

"Sure! Don't bother returning her if you like," he said jokingly. Koizumi glared at him darkly before walking together with her old schoolmate.

"She's your girlfriend, right?" Otani asked.

"Yes. I'm glad I'm with her," Yoshi replied with a smile.

"That's good to hear! You used to look lonesome before. Do you still play basketball? I still do!"

"I know. Now you can see how much has changed. And yeah, I still play. I heard you're a fine player now!"

"Really? Yes! My reputation is spreading!" Otani cheered. "Things really do change as time passes."

"I can't believe it either. I'm surprised too. You and Koizumi are really together now," Yoshi said absentmindedly. Otani's dark brown eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah. Do you think it's weird or what?"

Yoshi laughed and shook his head. "No, it's not. It's actually nice to see Risa with someone deserving," he replied. Otani's jaw dropped.

"What? And… you called her Risa," he managed to say. Yoshi chuckled.

"Yes. That is her name, right? Or do you rather that only you can say her name?" Yoshi asked jokingly. Otani's face reddened a little.

"Well, not really…"

"I used to like Risa, you know," Yoshi said. Otani looked at him and didn't say anything. Was it really possible that his fellow basketball player that he used to look up to had a thing for his beloved girlfriend?

"She was so strange… addicted to video games and all. But she wasn't afraid to talk to me. She was so cool and funny. Then when she said she hated me, I felt down. But she said sorry, and I told her that she was the only one I willingly told that I was transferring. But since you and Nakao are my friends, I told you guys too. She has her cute sides, you know."

"Oh. I know. Well, she's still strange, that idiot. She still plays her games and loves rabbits. The only cool thing about her is that she likes Umibouzu!" Otani told him. Yoshi gave him a smile. "But I really love her… don't tell that idiot I said that!" Otani's face reddened. His old friend started laughing.

"Why not?"

"Otani! I bought you some takoyaki along the way!" shouted Koizumi from afar. She held a box and walked together with Akechin while laughing joyously.

"You're lucky, Otani. Take care of her," Yoshi whispered. He smiled back and waited for his girlfriend to reach him.

"Good you thought of buying this! Don't call me Spring Onion Prince again or I'll hit you!" he screeched.

"I didn't say anything yet! What's with you? I already bought you takoyaki! But I did eat one…" Koizumi said.

"Ah! Make sure this box isn't empty!" Otani told her.

"It's not! Why would I give it to you if it's empty, idiot?" Koizumi shouted back.

Akechin giggled and grabbed Yoshi's arm shyly. "They sure are a silly couple," she said.

"Yeah, but they fit each other," he told her. "Thanks for taking me here, by the way."

"Are you guys going to leave already?" Akechin asked. Risa nodded.

"Yeah. Koizumi and I are going to head to my house for a snack and I'll bring her home afterwards," Otani replied with a surprising smile.

"That's good to hear. I hope we'll get to see each other again," Yoshi said.

"Hey! I forgot! I have to return your Umibouzu CD!" Otani suddenly remembered. Yoshi shook his head.

"It's yours. Keep it," he reassured. The four gave their goodbyes and promised they would encounter each other another day, and parted in pairs.

...

"Hey, what did you and Yoshi talk about?" Koizumi asked. Otani rubbed the back of his neck anxiously before answering.

"We were just catching up," he replied. "Was he really the one who introduced Umibouzu to you?"

Koizumi answered with a smile. "Yes! And I'm happy he did. We would probably still be All Hanshin Kyojin if he never told me about Umibouzu."

They walked in silence after that. They both pondered upon Yoshi's huge impact in their lives, and how he connected them just like how Umibouzu did. To Risa, it seemed like an enchanting realization. It was humorously amazing that people from her younger years weaved an exciting future for her without even knowing it. She thanked Yoshi in a whisper, thus breaking the taunting silence in between them.

"What?" Otani asked.

"Nothing. Hey! I was wondering… do you want your shoes back?" Risa asked all of a sudden.

"No, it's alright. They're too small for me now. Did you keep them, after all this time?" he said with curiosity. Risa gave a short laugh before replying.

"I kept them because I thought I would see the boy again. I wanted to. Every time I went to an Umibouzu concert, I always wondered if I would ever see him again. I didn't realize he was always with me the entire time," she remarked, adding a dreamy sigh in the end.

"I never thought that noisy, nice girl would be you. She didn't look like an idiot!" Otani teased. Koizumi glared at him.

"But then again, she almost killed herself going through the crowd and lost her shoe! It was definitely you!" Otani added. She didn't take it anymore – Koizumi stomped on his foot.

"What was that for?" Otani screeched, grabbing his foot and hopping on the other.

"If I knew that boy would say these things to me in the future, I should have stepped on his foot while he wasn't wearing his shoes a long time ago!" Risa said angrily. Otani whacked her with the takoyaki case and tried to walk normally despite his painful foot.

"But thank you for that," Koizumi said softly. "You saved me from the crowd two times already."

Otani rolled his eyes. "Don't make me remember the second time. Passing out like that… honestly… idiot."

Koizumi couldn't help but smile at that memory. "_Spacing out and fainting for such a small matter! I almost got a heart attack!" _It pained her to worry Otani that much, but it surprised her so much that he spoke in such a manner that touched her heart so much.

"Wasn't it your birthday then? On that concert where we met?" she asked.

"Yeah. Of course it was. You were so loud, you managed to make Umibouzu and everyone in the room greet me," Otani replied. Koizumi's expression surprised him with her odd smile and weird flicker in her eyes.

"Wha… what are you thinking about?" Otani asked her. She laughed at her boyfriend.

"You owe me a lot for doing that!" she exclaimed joyously. Otani whacked her with the takoyaki case again.

"Shut up! It doesn't count because I didn't know it was you! And I thanked you before, remember?" he shouted in reminder. Koizumi sighed, realizing he did. After all, she just wanted to hear sweet words from her boyfriend after having several bickering sessions the entire day.

"Right. And I thanked you for helping me. I can't believe it was you. I honestly thought that was a grade school kid!"

"What? Stop saying such things about my height again, giantess!" he snapped. "Anyway, we're here. Let's finish the takoyaki and I'll bring you home."

Several minutes later, Otani was able to lead Koizumi in his room after his mother and sister started teasing him once again. At times when Koizumi comes for a visit, he would end up embarrassed with teasing comments from his family. But nonetheless, he felt a strange surge of silent joy along with them.

"Your sister's wearing the flower clips you wore before when you were playing basketball," Koizumi giggled. Otani rolled his eyes instead.

"You still remember that?" he asked.

"Of course! You looked like a cute little girl," she gushed happily.

"Shut up! Just… eat the takoyaki! I'm going to get some water first," and Otani left her in his room alone.

Despite craving the delicacy, Koizumi allowed her curiosity to kick in as she wandered around Otani's room. It was her first time to be left alone in his room physically, making her excited to look around and examine what wonders could be in her boyfriend's room.

"What's taking him so long? It's just water!" she thought to herself as she sat on his bed. Her eyes wandered around the room and she felt relieved her boyfriend wasn't the type of boy who kept a messy room. She sighed as she waited, and lowered her head. But in a flash, something she didn't notice before caught her eye.

A small-sized square plate was perched above the small table sitting in front of Otani's bed, filled with different candies in tiny wrappers. How could she miss seeing that? She knelt down beside the table, closest to the edge where the candy-filled plate was placed. To her surprise, it was filled with Strawberry Milk candies with a small rabbit on the pink wrapper.

"I know I saw these before…" she whispered to herself. The sight of the candy wrapper started jogging her memory until –

"My favorite candy! I always had two of these in my pocket back in junior high!" she squealed. "Why would Otani have these?"

And then she remembered. On the day she first encountered Otani but didn't know it was him, they spent their time enjoying an Umibouzu concert together. He saved her from the squeezing crowd and having to walk home barefooted. In return, she managed to make Umibouzu and everyone greet him in the concert for it was his birthday. And before she left the small house where the concert was held, Koizumi gave Otani a piece of Strawberry Milk candy as a birthday gift.

"So… he…"

She felt a tickling sensation in her heart. Otani must've liked the candy she gave him! She sighed in happiness; if only he knew how happy he made her in a second just because of an insignificant detail that had to do with her, especially now that she knew he was the one who charmed her after saving her and spent time with her in the first Umibouzu concert she attended.

"Hmm, I haven't had these in a long time too! I never had a piece of this candy since I gave my last piece to Otani," she said to herself. She marveled upon the plate and saw a bunch of Strawberry Milk candies together, but one little piece remained at the corner of the plate away from the rest of the candies. She picked it up, and in timing, Otani entered the room.

"Sorry it took so long. I had to help my sister on something," he told her. He placed two glasses of water on his table and sat down.

"Otani, you like Strawberry Milk candies?" she asked. Otani abandoned the takoyaki case and stared at her, wide-eyed. He jumped and checked the square plate filled with candies and grabbed Koizumi's wrist.

"Where's the one at the corner? Did you eat it?" he asked loudly. Koizumi shrieked in shock.

"Did you?" he asked again, looking half-worried and half-furious. Koizumi shook her head.

"N… no. I'm holding it," she replied weakly. Otani released his firm grip on her wrist and exhaled with relief. "Good."

"Why did you get so worked up on it?" she asked, placing the candy on the table. Otani looked at her with full focus while he took the piece of candy. He turned his attention to the candy and exhaled again.

"Do you know why this was the only piece of Strawberry Milk candy that's separated from the rest?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"Because this one is probably expired by now," he replied. "I received it on my birthday, on the first Umibouzu concert I went to. I never ate this because it came from someone special in my heart, especially now I know who she is."

Risa considered this one of the rare moments Otani would say something that sweet and touching to her. Her cheeks burned hotly as she blushed deep red.

"Otani… did you just say that?" she asked, placing two fingers on her warm cheeks. It was Otani's turn to blush into a crimson red color.

"Don't get too high and mighty about it!" he shouted.

"But why didn't you eat it? It's a bid sad, you know," Risa said, looking at his reddened face.

"No, it isn't. It's a special remembrance on the day Umibouzu greeted me on my birthday! And besides, I bought another piece and I started liking Strawberry Milk candy, so it's not a waste," he told her. "Now stop fussing over candy and let's start eating the takoyaki!"

"First one who finishes a takoyaki is an onion ball!" Risa shouted in glee. With all the extraordinary happenings she had on this day, it was impossible for her to hide her happiness, especially with Otani by her side.

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><p><em><strong>AN:** Well, it was fun writing this. It made me smile the entire time. I really hope I captured the characters of Otani and Koizumi, and I'm sorry it's dreadfully long. Thanks to all who read this! I hoped you enjoy it! :D Please R&R, no flames hopefully. :D_


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